


with flowers in your hair

by Meridas



Series: warm, unalone (come settle down) [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Genderfluid Mollymauk Tealeaf, Other, Queerplatonic Molly/Yasha, Queerplatonic Relationships, Slice of Life, circus kids habits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-19 13:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meridas/pseuds/Meridas
Summary: Molly braids Yasha's hair for her.
Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf & Yasha
Series: warm, unalone (come settle down) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607398
Comments: 15
Kudos: 101





	with flowers in your hair

**Author's Note:**

> More sweet domestic fluff, entirely inspired by [millimauk](https://twitter.com/_milliiii) and a little conversation about the elaborate braids that Yasha deserves <3

Yasha runs her fingers through her hair, considering herself in the mirror. She’s happy with her makeup, but she can’t go to a festival with her hair just plain and a little frizzy from the heat. 

“Molly?” she calls as she wanders into the front room. “Have you got time to do my hair before we go?”

“For you, always.” Molly tosses his phone aside and considers her, tapping at his chin with one finger. “How do you feel about something especially gorgeous for today?”

“Hm.” She tilts her head, pretending to consider it as if she hasn’t been letting Molly do what he wants with her hair for years. He wiggles his fingers. “I suppose since it’s a special occasion, sure.”

“Wonderful.” Molly sits up and drops a pillow on the floor in front of him. “Have a seat, then! Your personal stylist awaits.”

Yasha folds herself down to the floor and tips her head back, closing her eyes as the familiar ritual lulls her into a soft, meditative state. Molly’s dexterous hands card through her hair, separating and weaving as he goes. He’s very good at it, these days, making her braids tight and solid without tugging at her scalp, weaving them together without tangling. He wasn’t nearly so good when he first started, but Yasha has always been happy to let him try.

With those earliest braiding attempts in mind, Yasha can’t help but chuckle a little.

“Silver for your thoughts, dear?”

Yasha resettles her shoulders against his knees. “I thought the saying is about coppers?”

“Not for you, your thoughts are worth at least a silver. Want to tell me about them?”

Yasha smiles faintly. “I was just thinking about when you first started doing this for me.”

Molly laughs. His fingers card through a new section of her hair, scratching soothingly across her scalp as if she is Caleb’s cat. She keeps the comparison to herself. “Oh, those early days you had quite the rat’s nest to work with. And I doubt I helped that much in that regard.”

“It was nice, though,” Yasha murmurs, as Molly goes back to work. It’s true. When they first met, back in the days of the carnival, Yasha used to either cut her own hair or forget about it for a very long time. Molly had been hardly better in an opposite way, still nearly silent with his hair buzzed almost to his scalp. Yasha remembers seeing the Knot sisters with their elaborate braids for each performance, the spark of interest in Molly’s eyes. She’d offered her own hair to practice on, figuring that he couldn’t make it worse than it was. 

It became their little routine after that, Molly braiding her hair almost whenever she stood still for it. Sometimes he’d comb the little plaits right back out again, but as he got better he started adding little things. He’d pick up beads, ribbons, bright small flowers from wherever he could find them. Occasionally he’d forget to take his rings off before he started and end up losing one until she had to wash and comb the whole mane out again. Slowly, her braids got prettier, more fun and elaborate. The two of them grew into all sorts of habits with the carnival, some that lasted and some that they agreed never to speak of again; of all of them, Yasha might be happiest that this is the ritual that stuck around.

“Will you add something?” she asks. “That silk flower, the one you got me in Hupperdook? It’s pinned up on our collage, but—”

“Of course! Here, hold this—” He’s back in a flash, wiggling back into place behind her. She smiles as she feels the little wire stem poke into her hair, Molly weaving it into one of her braids expertly. 

His hands come to rest on her shoulders, and she feels a kiss dropped to the crown of her head. “I do believe you’re all finished, dear. The flower looks perfect.”

Yasha runs her fingers gently along the grain of her new braids, smiling at the elaborate crown Molly has given her. “Thank you, Molly,” she says, just like she does every time they finish this. 

She stands, then turns around and pulls him up from the couch. Molly comes up with a little spring in his step, smiling wide enough that his eyes crinkle into pleased half-moons. He hooks his arm through hers, practically skipping as he pulls her toward the door. “Come on, Yasha, there’s a festival waiting for us to arrive.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I hope you liked it and I'd love to hear your thoughts, reactions, questions, anything <3


End file.
